Under the terms of the agreement, Richter will be responsible for product supply and Seqirus will be responsible for the registration and commercialisation of the product in Australia and New Zealand.
“We are very excited to be working with Richter on the commercialisation of this innovative treatment for schizophrenia. This product is an important addition to Seqirus’ growing product range and strengthens our broad portfolio of in-licensed medicines in Australia and New Zealand,” said Dr Lorna Meldrum, Vice President of Commercial Operations, Seqirus Asia Pacific.
"We are pleased with the partnership established, which will build on the worldwide availability of this treatment for those who are suffering from mental illnesses," said Mr Gábor Orbán, Chief Executive Officer of Richter.
About Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a severe and highly disabling chronic mental illness involving disordered thought and perception. Its characteristic onset in late adolescence/early adulthood is often associated with a marked, lifelong impact on social and role functioning. The prevalence of schizophrenia is about 1% in the general population worldwide.1
About Richter
Gedeon Richter Plc. (www.richter.hu), headquartered in Budapest/Hungary, is a major pharmaceutical company in Central Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe, in China and in Latin America. Having reached a market capitalisation of EUR 3.2 billion (USD 3.6 billion) by the end of 2018, Richter's consolidated sales were approximately EUR 1.4 billion (USD 1.5 billion) during the same year. The product portfolio of Richter covers many important therapeutic areas, including Women's Healthcare, Central Nervous System and Cardiovascular areas. Having the largest R&D unit in Central Eastern Europe, Richter's original research activity focuses on CNS disorders. With its widely acknowledged steroid chemistry expertise, Richter is a significant player in the Women's Healthcare field worldwide. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development.
About Seqirus
In Australia and New Zealand Seqirus is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company operating with expertise in specialty and primary care pharmaceuticals and vaccines. The Seqirus sales and marketing teams are multi-award winning and recognised as leaders within the pharmaceutical industry.
Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 22,000 people with operations in more than 60 countries. Seqirus was established on 31 July 2015 following CSL’s acquisition of the Novartis influenza vaccines business and its subsequent integration with bioCSL. As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza globally and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness.
Seqirus operates state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the UK and Australia, and manufactures influenza vaccines using both egg-based and cell-based technologies. It has leading R&D capabilities, a broad portfolio of differentiated products and a commercial presence in more than 20 countries.
For more information visit www.seqirus.com.au.
MEDIA CONTACTS
SEQIRUS
Melanie Kerin
Senior Manager, Communications, Seqirus
Melanie.Kerin@Seqirus.com
M: +61 417 436 329
RICHTER:
Katalin Ördög, Investors +36 1 431 5680
Zsuzsa Beke, Media +36 1 431 4888
Reference
1. Kahn RS, Sommer IE, Murray RM et al. Schizophrenia. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2015 Nov 12;1:15067